The Spring Benefit: Past Events
Celebrating Art and Movement at City Winery
In 2023, more than 120 parents, alumni parents, staff and friends gathered in The Loft at City Winery for our annual Spring Benefit in support of Parkside’s art and movement programs.
Parkside co-founders Albina Miller and Leslie Thorne kicked off the evening with remarks about the history and importance art, drama, music, physical education and yoga for our students with language-based learning challenges. Co-Emcees, drama teacher Melissa Ferraro and Class 3-4 parent Danit Almog, facilitated a program that highlighted the real-life impact these classes, and exposure to the arts, have on our students, and drove home the importance of financial support from everyone in our community.
The high point of the program was a debut of a new Arts & Movement Video, featuring student and teacher interview about the impact our specialty classes have. Click here to watch the video.
Complete with fine wine, good food, and the jazzy stylings of Blue Morpho, featuring Jane Paknia, it was a fun-filled evening for all! Parent and guests sponsored items from our Giving Wall, beautifully curated and displayed by Michelle Pakula, and the event raised nearly $90,000 overall for our art and movement programs.
Parkside’s 35th Anniversary “Gatsby Gala”
April 6, 2022 marked our return to in-person gatherings as we celebrated our school's 35th anniversary and honored Parkside's amazing faculty at our "Gatsby Gala" at Sony Hall in midtown. It was -- as expected -- the bee's knees, indeed. From the swingin' tunes from Good Shot Judy, to the lively gaming tables, it was a night we will all remember for some time to come. It was simply wonderful to connect with so many of you in person as we raised much needed funds for teacher and therapist salaries.
One of the biggest highlights of the evening was a very special video message from our alumni and students to their teachers, lovingly produced by Parkside mom, Vanita Shastry. Click here to watch the video.
We must extend our heartfelt thanks to Melissa Ferraro for serving as our fabulous emcee, Fabio Botarelli '97 for his beautiful introduction of the video, and James Lonsdale for his amazing work with the children on the beautiful artwork that was auctioned. And to the many volunteers who helped out during the evening -- Megan Arazi, Maria Barbone, Brad and Ashley Carlin, Paula Cavanaugh, Mary DiPerna, Masayo Douglas, Nareg and Marlene Kalaydjian, Sia Sotirakis, Tricia Tabora, Holly Varsalona, Patrick and Suzannah Weir, everyone who solicited and donated items for the auction and raffle, our amazing sponsors, and anyone else we may have missed -- thank you!
Finally, we have to give a huge round of applause to Jillian Mayonove and Rachel Vannucci for seamlessly stepping in at the last minute to oversee the entire production. You are the epitome of #ParksideStrong.
To our parent and alumni community, and of course our unmatched team of teachers, therapists and staff, you are the reason Parkside has improved the lives of more than 500 children in our 35 year history, and your continued support and encouragement will ensure Parkside's success for many more years to come.
Happy Birthday, Parkside. Thank you for being part of our community.
With love and appreciation,
Albina Miller & Leslie Thorne
Co-Heads of School
Bon Appétit, Parkside!
On March 23, 2021 more than 80 member of our community - parents, alumni, staff and friends - gathered on Zoom for a delectable culinary experience with Chef David Waltuck, Chef Anita Lo, Chef Bao Bao and Chef Wilson Costa.
Preceded by a live mixology demonstration by Zak Snyder of White Horse Tavern, who taught attendees to make a Vesper Martini, and Old Fashioned, and a Spicy Margarita, guests of Bon Appétit, Parkside participated in live cooking classes with each of our four chefs, cooking up beef filet, crispy chicken and sweet and sour sauce, fresh pasta with anchovies and radish, and a local Steelhead trout.
Albina Miller, Parkside’s Co-Head of School, said she had always wanted to do a culinary-themed event for Parkside’s annual benefit. A virtual event wasn’t what she originally had in mind, but what transpired will be something our community will remember for many years to come. It was a bright spot in what has been a challenging school year, thanks to the creativity and generosity of these four amazing chefs!
The evening, which was augmented by a silent online auction, raffle, and virtual giving tree, raised a total of $106,350 for Parkside’s beloved art and movement programs.
”Art, Music, Drama, Yoga and Gym have been at the heart of Parkside’s program, from the very beginning. We recognized early on that in order for Parkside to be different – to be better – that our school needed to really address the needs of the whole child. That includes regular opportunities to express themselves through art, music and drama, to learn to regulate their bodies through yoga and mindfulness, and to learn teamwork and agility through gym and movement” said Leslie Thorne, Co-Head of School and Educational Director.
Historically, these specialty programs are not mandated by the state. It is only through the generosity of donors like those who attended last night’s event on Zoom, that Parkside can continue to offer art, music, drama, yoga and gym to our students.
Parkside mom, Vanita Shastry, produced and edited this video highlighting the importance of these programs at Parkside, which debuted during the event:
And if you missed the live event, enjoy this video of Ms. MingYi Lin’s piano performance, which we enjoyed while eating the delicious meals we prepared with the chefs:
The Roaring Twenties
In 2020, Parkside once again made history. Due to the pandemic, our Roaring Twenties in-person event was cancelled, and we quickly transitioned to a virtual benefit. Shelly Watson entertained us on Zoom, in a "Virtual Toast" to our school with more than 50 members of our Parkside family participating, and our online auction co-chaired by Dot Cates and Andria Younger raised $102,294 for Parkside’s art and movement programs.